Fasteners, railing system and method of assembly

ABSTRACT

A fastener is adapted to affix a first article such as a picket to a second article such as a rail to form a railing or balustrade. The fastener includes a first engaging surface having a maximum diameter adapted to engage an interior surface of an opening in the first article and a mating surface adapted to mate with the second article. The first engaging surface can have shape selected from cylindrical, ellipsoidal, conical, elliptic conical frustum, pyramidal frustum, and ball and other shapes having cross-sections of rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal and other regular polygons having at least four sides such that good engagement is obtained and the fastener is hidden from view in the assembled railing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S.Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/393,125 filed Jul. 3, 2002,the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention is related to fasteners and methods used toassemble a railing, balustrade or fence. More specifically, theinvention is concerned with a fastener that can be affixed to opposingends of a picket or baluster in order to attach the picket to a pair ofrails for assembly of a picket fence or balustrade.

[0003] Picket fences are in widespread use to demarcate property linesand to enclose specific spaces within a property such as a patio,backyard deck, pool, and the like. Such fences incorporate a variety ofdesigns but generally consist of a sequence of vertically aligned,elongate balustrades or pickets that are fastened perpendicularly tohorizontal support members or rails with intervening spaces between anytwo pickets. An early version of the picket fence was comprised of flatrectangular pickets with pointed top ends attached to one side of upperand lower horizontal support members so that the pointed ends of thepickets were exposed and disposed above the upper horizontal member.This design and construction technique presented not only a pleasing,aesthetic appearance but also provided a functional characteristic asthe top pointed ends of the pickets discouraged climbing over the fence.

[0004] Another type of picket fence is comprised of elongate,rectangular pickets or balustrades that are attached at opposing endsthereof to upper and lower fence rails. With this type of fence, theupper fence rail is located over the top end of the pickets andfunctions as the uppermost surface or portion of the fence. The picketsare attached to the fence rails by various methods and devices. Forinstance, the ends of the pickets can be configured into a particularshape or design that is received into cooperating apertures or boreslocated in the fence rails, such as screw threads formed onto the endsof the pickets and around cooperating bores of the fence rails so thatthe pickets can be screwed into said fence rails. However, such methodof attachment provides an inadequate means of affixing pickets to fencerails if the fence components are manufactured of certain materials thathave limited load-bearing capabilities such as plastic or vinyl.

[0005] The pickets can also be attached by fasteners such as nails orscrews to the fence rails with said means of attachment strengthened asneeded by the use of brackets and the like. This method of attachmentpresents less than a satisfactory appearance as nails and screws may bevisible if not properly countersunk and if any brackets are not seatedwithin a depression so that said fasteners and brackets are flush withthe surface of the pickets and fence rails.

[0006] What is needed then is the provision of a fastening means and amethod of assembling picket fences that overcomes the aforementioneddisadvantages of assembling picket fences. The subject of the instantinvention presents a variety of fasteners that can be used for attachingpickets to upper and lower fence rails and a method for such assembly inorder that a picket fence that is stable and secure can be erected usinga variety of fence construction materials while also providing the fencewith a pleasing and aesthetic appearance. Such fastening means iscomprised of fasteners that are inserted at a first portion or endthereof into opposing ends of a picket and inserted at a second portionor end thereof into adjacent fence rails.

[0007] Numerous designs for assembling picket fences have been providedin the prior art. Even though these designs may be suitable for thespecific individual purposes to which they address, they would not besuitable for the purposes of an aspect of the invention. Such designsare exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,275, Railing Construction, issuedto Faber et al. on 22 Mar. 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,948, Picket Fence,issued to Lustvee on 2 Dec. 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,005, PicketAttachment, issued to Zen on 6 Nov. 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,820,Wedge-Adjustable Base For Rail Posts and The Like, issued to Katz on 9Jul. 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,548, Modular Metal Fencing AndGratings Employing Novel Fastening Means For Reduction Of Assembly Time,issued to Moore on 3 Oct. 1995.

[0008] As such, it may be appreciated that there is a continuing needfor a new and improved fastening means and method of assembling picketfences that is comprised of fasteners that are inserted into orotherwise attached at a first portion or end thereof to opposing ends ofa picket and inserted at a second portion or end thereof into adjacentfence rails so that a picket fence of various materials such as wood,metal, vinyl, and the like can be assembled quickly and efficiently andwith a pleasing and aesthetic appearance. These aspects of the inventionsubstantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of theprior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus that substantiallyfulfills this need. Additionally, the prior and commercial techniques donot suggest the present inventive combination of component elementsarranged and configured as disclosed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An aspect of the invention, which will be described in greaterdetail hereinafter, relates to the field of fasteners and methods usedto assemble fences. More specifically, this version of the invention isconcerned with a fastener that can be affixed to opposing ends of apicket in order to attach said picket to adjacent fence rails forassembly of a picket fence.

[0010] According to an aspect of the invention, a fastener is providedto affix a first article such as a picket to a second article such as arail to form a railing or balustrade. The fastener includes a firstengaging surface having a maximum diameter adapted to engage an interiorsurface of an opening in the first article and a mating surface adaptedto mate with the second article. The first engaging surface can haveshape selected from cylindrical, ellipsoidal, conical, elliptic conicalfrustum, pyramidal frustum, and ball and other shapes havingcross-sections of rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal andother regular polygons having at least four sides such that goodengagement is obtained and the fastener is hidden from view in theassembled railing.

[0011] According to an aspect of the invention, a fastener is providedfor affixing pickets to fence rails in order to construct a picketfence, the fastener including a cylindrical member and a rectangularmember. The cylindrical member and rectangular member are connected atcooperating ends with the cylindrical member and rectangular memberpresenting opposing, exposed ends. Screw threads are located around theexterior of the cylindrical member, and a series of ridges or protrusionare located on sidewalls of the rectangular member. In a firstalternative embodiment of the fastener, the cylindrical member isprovided without screw threads. In a second alternate embodiment, thefastener is comprised of a conical member with screw threads surroundingthe exterior thereof and a rectangular member connected to a wider endof the conical member. In a third alternative embodiment, the fasteneris comprised of a conical member with surrounding screw threads and ahexagonal member connected to a wider end of the conical member.

[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, a picket fence isassembled by inserting the rectangular or hexagonal member of a fastenerinto a bore formed into each end of a picket so that the ridges thereoffrictionally engage the sidewalls of said bore and then inserting thecylindrical or conical member of the fasteners, which extend beyond thepickets, into cooperating bores of the fence rails. The pickets can beanchored to the fence rails by rotating said pickets so that the screwthreads of the cylindrical or conical member engage the surroundingsidewall of cooperating bores in the fence rails.

[0013] If necessary, the spacing of the pickets between the fence railscan be facilitated by use of a measuring guide releasably attached tothe side of a container for storage and transport of the pickets. Themeasuring guide is comprised of two sidewalls that are perpendicularlyattached with a series of apertures located in a sidewall thereof. Thesidewall with said apertures located therein can be placed over twofence rails so that bores can be drilled into the fence rails using saidapertures as a guide.

[0014] Using the fasteners and the method described above, a picketfence that is stable and well constructed can be assembled quickly andefficiently. Fasteners are fabricated from exemplary materials includingplastics, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, and other deformable materialsincluding but not limited to synthetic rubber and polyurethane, oralternatively, nondeformable materials such as metals including, but notlimited to aluminum, zinc, galvanized steel and stainless steel. Thepickets and fence rails can be comprised of a variety of materials, suchas wood, plastic, vinyl, various metals and the like.

[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, a fastening meansand method for assembling picket fence is provided in which a fastenerincludes a cylindrical or conical member and a rectangular or hexagonalmember connected thereto. Screw threads or ridges surround the exteriorof the cylindrical or conical member and ridges surround the rectangularor hexagonal member; and a plurality of pickets with bores formed intoopposing ends thereof for receipt of individual fasteners.

[0016] According to another aspect of the invention a fastening meansand method is provided for assembling picket fence through use offasteners that releasably attach pickets to upper and lower fence railsso that a picket fence that is stable and secure can be erected quicklyand efficiently with a minimum amount of tools and expenditure of timeand effort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a fastenerfor assembling picket fence in accordance with an aspect of theinvention.

[0018]FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a first embodiment of afastener for assembling picket fence in accordance with an aspect of theinvention.

[0019]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of a fastener forassembling picket fence according to line 1-1 of FIG. 2.

[0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a fastenerfor assembling picket fence in accordance with an aspect of theinvention.

[0021]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of fastenersaligned for insertion into bores located at opposing ends of a picketand into cooperating bores off adjacent fence rails.

[0022]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a fastenersinserted into bores located at opposing ends of a picket and aligned forinsertion into cooperating bores of adjacent fence rails.

[0023]FIG. 7 is a partial cross sectional view of a picket attached atopposing ends to adjacent fence rails, said attachment provided by afirst embodiment of fasteners inserted into bores located at opposedends of said picket and into communicating bores of adjacent fencerails.

[0024]FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of a first embodiment of a seriesfasteners aligned for attachment to opposing ends of pickets andadjacent fence rails.

[0025]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a fasteneraligned for insertion into a cooperating bore of a picket and attachmentto an adjacent fence rail.

[0026]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a fasteneraligned for insertion into a cooperating bore of a picket and attachmentto an adjacent fence rail.

[0027]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a fastenerhaving a cylindrical member for insertion into openings of both a picketand a rail.

[0028]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a fastenerhaving a cylindrical member for insertion into openings of both a picketand a rail.

[0029]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a seventh embodiment of afastener having an elliptic conical frustum shape for insertion intoopenings of both a picket and a rail.

[0030]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alternative form of a seventhembodiment of a fastener having an elliptic pyramidal frustum shape forinsertion into openings of both a picket and a rail.

[0031] FIGS. 15-18F are perspective views illustrating an eighthembodiment of a fastener having a ball shape for insertion into anopening of at least one of a picket or rail.

[0032]FIG. 19 is a fragmentary perspective view of a storage andtransport container of pickets illustrating a plurality of picketsstored therein and a hole measuring guide located at an exterior cornerof said container.

[0033]FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a hole measuring guide positionedover two fence rails in order to provide the location at which bores canbe drilled for insertion of fasteners therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, to FIG. 1through FIG. 3 wherein there are illustrated a first embodiment of afastener 10 for assembling a picket fence. The fastener 10 is aone-piece, unitary device that is comprised of a cylindrical member 12and a rectangular member 14. The cylindrical member 12 consists of afirst end 16 that is connected to the rectangular member 14 and anopposed second end 18. Screw threads 20 surround the cylindrical member12. Desirably, fasteners 10 are fabricated of two types: fasteners 10having screw threads 20 which fasten in a clockwise direction, andfasteners 10 having screw threads 20 which fasten in a counterclockwisedirection. The rectangular member is comprised of a first end 22 that isconnected to the cylindrical member 12 and a second opposed end 24. Aseries of parallel ridges 26 is located on the four sidewalls of therectangular member 14. The rectangular member 14 is desirably sized tofit an opening of a readily available picket 44 (FIG. 5) withoutrequiring the picket 44 to be specially manufactured.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 4, therein illustrated is a second embodimentof the fastener 28. The fastener 28 is comprised of a cylindrical member30 and a rectangular member 32, said cylindrical member 30 consisting ofa first end 34 connected to the rectangular member 32 and a secondopposed end 36. The rectangular member 32 is comprised of a first end 38that is connected to the cylindrical member 30 and a second opposed end40. Parallel ridges 42 are located on the four sidewalls of therectangular member 32.

[0036] The fasteners 10, 28 are comprised of material that islightweight and durable. Exemplary materials include plastics, nylon,polyvinyl chloride, and other deformable materials including but notlimited to synthetic rubber and polyurethane and nondeformable materialssuch as metals including, but not limited to aluminum, zinc, galvanizedsteel, carbon steel and stainless steel.

[0037] As displayed in FIG. 5 a picket fence is being assembled with anelongate, rectangular picket 44 having rectangular bores 46 located atopposing ends thereof. The picket 44 is disposed between upper and lowerfence rails 48. Bores 50 are located on facing sides of the fence rails48. The picket 44 is disposed in perpendicular relation to the fencerails 48 with the bores 46 of the picket 44 in alignment withcooperating bores 50 of the fence rails 48. A first fastener 10 islocated between the top end of the picket 44 and an upper fence rail 48,and a second fastener 10 is located between the bottom end of the picket44 and a lower fence rail 48. The cylindrical member 12 of each fastener10 is disposed toward a cooperating, cylindrical bore 50 of a fence rail48, and the rectangular member 14 of each fastener 10 is disposed towarda cooperating, rectangular bore 46 of the picket 44.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 6, the fasteners 10 are attached to the picket44 by means of the rectangular members 44 of the fasteners 10 insertedinto the rectangular bores 46 located at opposing ends of the picket 10.The ridges 26 of the rectangular member 44 frictionally engage thecommunicating sidewalls surrounding the bores 46 so that the fasteners10 are securely anchored within the bores 46 to the picket 44.Desirably, fasteners 10 having clockwise-fastening screw threads 20 areinserted into first bores 46 of pickets 44 and fasteners 10 havingcounterclockwise-fastening screw threads 20 are inserted into secondbores 46 of pickets 44 on opposite ends of the pickets 44. In suchmanner, the picket 44 with the fasteners 10 secured thereto can beattached to the fence rails 48 by inserting the exposed cylindricalmembers 12 of the fasteners into cooperating cylindrical bores 50 of thefence rails 48 and rotating the picket 44 so that the screw threads 20of the cylindrical members 12 engage the sidewalls of the bores 50 asillustrated in FIG. 7. Preparing the picket 44 by inserting fasteners 10of clockwise and counterclockwise fastening types in respective oppositeends thereof assures that the fasteners 10 engage the upper rail andlower rail at the same time by the same rotational movement to securethe pickets to the rail.

[0039] As displayed in FIG. 8, a plurality of pickets 44 can be alignedfor attachment to upper and lower fence rails 48 to construct a picketfence of varying length and secured to said rails 48 as describedpreviously. The pickets 44 and the fence rails 48 are comprised ofmaterial that is lightweight, durable, rigid, and resistant to corrosionand oxidation, such as various wood products, metals and alloys,plastic, vinyl, composite materials, and the like.

[0040] A third embodiment of a fastener 52 is illustrated in FIG. 9 ashaving a conical member 54 with surrounding screw threads, said conicalmember 54 tapering from a narrower end to a wider end with said widerend connected to a rectangular member 56. The fastener 52 is alignedbetween an end of a picket 44 with cooperating bore 46 and acommunicating side of a fence rail 58. Two types of fasteners 52 aredesirably provided, a first in which the conical member 54 hasclockwise-fastening threads, and a second in which the conical member 54has counterclockwise-fastening threads.

[0041] The picket 44 is attached to upper and lower rails 58 by firstinserting the rectangular member 56 of the fastener 52 into the bore 46at opposed ends of the picket 44 so that the rectangular member 56frictionally engages the surrounding sidewalls of the bore 46 andanchors the fastener 52 to the picket 44. The picket 44 with thefastener 52 disposed therein is placed adjacent to the rails 58 inperpendicular relation and rotated while pressing the conical members 54of the fasteners 52 against the rails 58 until the conical members 54engage the rails 58, initially securing the fasteners 52 and picket 44to said rails 58. The fasteners 52 are then screwed into the rails 58until the conical members 54 are completely disposed within the rails58. Desirably, a clockwise-threaded fastener 52 is attached to one endof the picket and a counterclockwise-threaded fastener 52 is attached tothe other, such that rotating the picket 44 in one direction engagesboth of the rails 58 at the same time to secure the picket 44 to therails 58. The conical members 54 of the fasteners 52 can be attached tothe rails 58 with or without a pilot hole formed in said rails 58. Itmay also be desirable under limited circumstances to further secure therectangular member 56 of the fastener 52 to the picket 44 by inserting ascrew 55 through a sidewall of the bore 46 of the picket 44, forexample.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 10 a fourth embodiment of the fastener 60 isillustrated. The fastener 60 is comprised of a conical member 62 withsurrounding screw threads. The conical member 62 tapers from a narrowerend to a wider end with said wider end connected to a hexagonal member64. Two types of fasteners 60 are desirably provided, a first in whichthe conical member 62 has clockwise-fastening threads, and a second inwhich the conical member 62 has counterclockwise-fastening threads.

[0043] The fasteners 60 are attached to each end the picket 44 byinserting the hexagonal members 64 into the bores 46 at opposed ends ofthe picket 44 until the sidewalls of the hexagonal members 64 engagecooperating sidewalls of the bores 46, and the conical members extendabove the end of the picket 44. Desirably, a clockwise-threaded fastener60 is attached to one end of the picket and a counterclockwise-threadedfastener 60 is attached to the other. The picket 44 having a fastener 60secured at each end thereof is aligned between upper and lower rails 58so that the conical members 62 of the fasteners 60 engage the rails 58,initially securing the fasteners 60 and picket 44 to said rails 58. Thefasteners 60 are then screwed into the rails 58 by pressing the conicalmembers 62 against the rails 58 and rotating the picket 44 until theconical members 62 are completely disposed within the rails 58. Theconical members 62 of the fasteners 60 can be attached to the rails 58with or without a pilot hole formed in said rails 58.

[0044] Alternatively, the conical member 62 of a fastener 60 can befirst inserted into a lower rail 58 until the hexagonal member 64 ispositioned in a way that allows the cooperating bore 46 of the picket 44to thereafter become engaged therewith. Another fastener 60 can then beinserted into an upper rail 58 at a location designed to mate with thelower rail. These steps are repeated to prepare the lower rail having aset of pickets to be joined to the upper rail having a set ofcorresponding fasteners. The lower rail 58 having the attached picketsis then affixed to the upper rail by the fasteners already attachedthereto by slidably engaging the hexagonal members of the affixedfasteners into the cooperating bores of the pickets.

[0045] In an alternative embodiment, the fastener 60 can be shapedhaving a head 64 having a cross-section of a regular convex n-sidedshape such as a pentagon, heptagon, octagon, etc. As described above,the head 64 is inserted into a cooperating opening 46 of the picket 44and the conical member of the fastener 62 is then threadably insertedinto a rail 58.

[0046] A fifth embodiment of a fastener is illustrated in FIG. 11. Asshown in FIG. 11, the fastener 102 includes a solid, or alternativelyhollow tubular member 110 having a cylindrical shape. The fastener 102is desirably fabricated of a uniform material for ease of fabrication.Exemplary materials include plastics, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, andother deformable materials including but not limited to synthetic rubberand polyurethane. The member 110 includes a first set of ridges 112disposed on an exterior surface of a first portion 111 thereof, for usein frictionally engaging an interior surface of a cylindrical openingprovided in a longitudinal end of a picket or baluster. The maximumdimensions of the ridges of the fastener 102 are preferably selected tobe slightly larger than the internal dimensions of the opening in thepicket, e.g. by an amount on the order of hundredths of an inch alongdiameters 114 of the ridges, such that the ridges frictionally engagethe interior surface of the opening in the picket and stay engageddespite stresses that the assembled rail and picket may encounter later.In such case, the ridges and/or the cylindrical member 112 arefabricated of a material and thickness such that some deformation of theridges and/or the cylindrical member 112 occurs upon inserting thefastener 100 into the opening of the picket.

[0047] The fastener 100 is also provided with a second portion 116having a second set of ridges 113 used to frictionally engage aninterior surface of an opening in another member to which the picket isjoined, for example, a rail of a railing. As the opening in the rail tobe joined to the picket may be of a smaller or larger size than theopening in the picket, either the diameter of the cylindrical member115, the ridges 113, or both may be varied for that portion 116 of thefastener 100 that is intended to be inserted into the opening of therail. When the first portion 111 and the second portion 116 have thesame diameter, a stop 118 is preferably provided on the exterior surfaceof the member 110 between the first and second portions 111, 116 whichis used for stopping the fastener from being inserted too deeply intoone or the other of the picket and the rail to which it is being joined.While the fastener 102 is desirably fabricated in one piece and ofuniform material throughout, the first and second portions 111, 116 maybe constructed of different materials or different pieces of the same orsimilar materials and then assembled to make the fastener.

[0048] A sixth embodiment of a fastener is illustrated in FIG. 12. Asshown in FIG. 12, the fastener 102 includes a solid, or alternativelyhollow tubular member 120 having a cylindrical shape. The fastener 102is desirably fabricated of a uniform material for ease of fabrication.Exemplary materials include plastics, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, andother deformable materials including but not limited to synthetic rubberand polyurethane and nondeformable materials such as metals including,but not limited to aluminum, zinc, galvanized steel and stainless steel.

[0049] As distinguished from fastener 100 shown in FIG. 11, fastener 102includes a first set of threads 121 in a first portion 122, and a secondset of threads 123 in a second portion 124 thereof. As in the fastener100 described above, the first portion 122 and second portion 124 mayhave different diameters. In addition, the first and second portions112, 124 may have different types of threads; that is different threadpitch and angle. Preferably, the first and second portions are threadedin opposite directions. For example, the first portion can have threadswhich fasten in a clockwise direction, and the second portion havethreads which fasten in a counterclockwise direction. By being sothreaded, the fastener can be threaded or tightened in correspondingopenings in the picket and the rail at the same time by rotationalmovement in one direction only. Thus, in an example, the fastener 102can be threaded into a rail and thereafter threaded into the picket byrotating the picket onto the fastener. Alternatively, the fastener 102can be threaded into a picket and thereafter threaded into the rail byrotating the picket with the attached fastener into the rail. When thefastener 102 is thus dual threaded, i.e. having both clockwise-fasteningand counterclockwise-fastening threads, threading the fastener into thesecond of the picket or rail will not loosen, but rather only serve tofurther tighten the fastener into rail or picket into which it hasalready been screwed. In between the first portion 122 and the secondportion 124 a stop 126 is preferably placed such that the fastener 102is not inserted too deeply into either the picket or the rail. In suchmanner, the first portion 122 is screwed a desirable depth into thepicket and a second portion 124 is screwed a desirable depth into therail.

[0050] While the fastener 102 is desirably fabricated in one piece andof uniform material throughout, the first and second portions 122, and124, or other components of fastener 102 may be constructed of differentmaterials or different pieces of the same or similar materials and thenassembled to make the fastener. For example, it may be desirable to forma first portion 122 of the fastener 102 of a deformable material such asplastic, nylon, polyurethane, etc., for insertion of the first portion122 into an opening in a picket of hollow tubular construction, e.g. ofmetal, plastic, polyvinyl chloride or composite material. A secondportion 124 of the fastener 102 may desirably be formed of a differentmaterial such as solid steel, aluminum, galvanized steel, zinc, etc. forproviding a strong, nondeformable surface for screwing the fastener 102into a smaller opening in a rail, for example.

[0051] The fastener 102 is preferably provided with an aperture 128 onat least one end thereof, the aperture preferably being sized and shapedto accommodate standard-sized tools such as those of rectangularcross-section, e.g. a rectangular nut driver or socket wrench, or thosehaving other cross-sections, e.g. hexagonal drivers, also known as“Allen” wrenches, for example. Alternatively, to facilitate turning ofthe fastener, at least one end of the fastener 102 may be provided witha bolthead 130, which is desirably formed integrally to a surface whichspans the cylindrical member 120. Although the bolthead is shownprotruding from the end of the cylindrical member 120, it can be joinedto a surface that is recessed from the end of the cylindrical member120.

[0052] As not all pickets have a cylindrical shape or are otherwiseamenable to fastening by cylindrically shaped fasteners, FIGS. 13 and 14illustrate sixth and seventh embodiments of fasteners of the inventionwhich are intended to be applied to the joining of a picket to a railwhen openings are of different shapes. As shown in the perspectivedrawing of FIG. 13A and the top (plan) view thereof in FIG. 13B, afastener 135 is provided having a first portion 136 and a second portion138, each one being in the shape of an elliptic conical frustum. Conicalfrustums have sidewalls 141 that are curved surfaces of revolution aboutan axis. A conical frustum is best suited for mating with an openingthat also has a curved surface. As described above relative to FIG. 11,the first and second portions of the fastener 135 are desirably providedwith sets of ridges 137, 139 for frictionally engaging an interiorsurface of an opening provided in the rail and/or picket. A stop 140 isalso preferably provided such that the fastener 135 is not inserted toodeeply into either the rail or the picket.

[0053] The seventh embodiment of a fastener 145, illustrated in aperspective view in FIG. 14A and in a top (plan) view in FIG. 14B,varies from the sixth embodiment in that the shape of each of the firstportion 146 and the second portion 148 is a pyramidal frustum ratherthan a conical frustum. As such, fastener 145 includes sides 150, 151that are substantially planar, rather than curved as in the fastener 135described above relative to FIGS. 13A-13B. The pyramidal fastener 145 ismore preferably employed where the opening of the picket or rail has atleast some straight sides for which a straight-sided fastener 145provides a better fit. As described above relative to FIGS. 13A-13B, thefirst and second portions of the fastener 145 are desirably providedwith sets of ridges 147, 149 for frictionally engaging an interiorsurface of an opening provided in the rail and/or picket. A stop 152 isalso preferably provided such that the fastener 145 is not inserted toodeeply into either the rail or the picket.

[0054]FIG. 15 illustrates an eighth embodiment of a fastener 200according to the invention. One difference between fastener 200 andthose shown and described above is that the fastener is substantially inthe shape of a ball. By “ball” is meant those classes of shapes that areconvex and generally round in shape and may be made up of one or morecurved surfaces and/or include surfaces which are planar. Thus, asdefined herein, “ball” includes but is not limited to the followingshapes: sphere (FIG. 15), prolate spheroid (FIG. 16), oblate spheroid(FIG. 17), regular convex polyhedra where the base polygon is at least apentagon, i.e. a dodecahedron (FIG. 18C), icosahedron (FIG. 18A), andany other shapes, e.g. geodesic domes, that approximate a sphere (suchas the shapes shown in FIGS. 18B, and 18D-18F), or approximate theshapes of prolate spheroid or oblate spheroid.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 15, the fastener 200 is a solid, oralternatively, hollow member having a ball shape. Desirably, a topsurface 218 and an opposite bottom surface 220 are substantially flat,to facilitate ease of placement and assembly onto a facing surface of anitem, e.g. a rail. The fastener 200 is desirably fabricated as a singlepiece of a uniform material for ease of fabrication. Exemplary materialsinclude nylon, plastics, polyvinyl chloride, and other deformablematerials including but not limited to synthetic rubber andpolyurethane. The fastener 200 preferably includes a first set of ridges211 disposed on an exterior surface of a first portion 212 thereof, foruse in frictionally engaging an interior surface of a cylindricalopening provided in a longitudinal end of a picket or baluster. Themaximum dimensions of the ridges of the fastener 200 are preferablyselected to be slightly larger than the internal dimensions of theopening in the picket, e.g. by an amount on the order of hundredths ofan inch along the diameter of the ridges, such that the ridgesfrictionally engage the interior surface of the opening in the picketand stay engaged despite stresses that the assembled rail and picket mayencounter later. In such case, the fastener 200 and/or the ridges 211are fabricated of a material and thickness such that some deformation ofthe ridges and/or the underlying ball occurs upon inserting the fastener200 into the opening of the picket.

[0056] The fastener 200 is also provided with a second portion 214having a second set of ridges 213 used to frictionally engage aninterior surface of an opening in another member to which the picket isjoined, for example, a rail of a railing. The ridges 213 of the secondset are desirably slanted in the opposite direction from the ridges 211of the first set such that the ridges 213 frictionally engage a firstopening in one item, e.g. a rail, while ridges 211 frictionally engagean opening in another item, e.g. a picket.

[0057] A stop 222 may be provided on the exterior surface of thefastener 200 between the first and second portions 212, 214, for use instopping the fastener from being inserted too deeply into one or theother of the picket and the rail to which it is being joined. While thefastener 200 is desirably fabricated in one piece and of uniformmaterial throughout, the first and second portions 212, 214, or othercomponents of fastener 200 may be constructed of different materials ordifferent pieces of the same or similar materials and then assembled tomake the fastener.

[0058] The fastener 200 is preferably provided with an aperture 216 onat least one end thereof, the aperture preferably being sized and shapedto accommodate standard-sized tools such as those of rectangularcross-section, e.g. a rectangular nut driver or socket wrench, or thosehaving other cross-sections, e.g. hexagonal drivers, also known as“Allen” wrenches, for example. In such case, the aperture 216 provides away of applying torque to insert a lower portion 214 of the fastener 200into an item such as a rail.

[0059] Alternatively, the aperture 216 may be a countersink forretaining a screw or bolt of length sufficient to pass through thefastener 200 from the side of the aperture 216 to the opposite side, thescrew or bolt then threadably engaging another item, e.g. the railthereunder.

[0060] Alternatively, to facilitate turning of the fastener, at leastone end of the fastener 200 may be provided with a bolthead (such asthat shown and described above relative to FIG. 12) in the place ofaperture 216, the bolthead being desirably formed integrally to a topsurface 218 of the fastener 200. In such case, the bolthead provides away of applying torque to insert a lower portion 214 of the fastener 200into an item such as a rail.

[0061] In a preferred method of assembling a picket to a rail to form anelement of a railing or balustrade, the fastener 200 is placed, bottomside 220 down on a rail, leaving the top surface 218 exposed. The bodyof a screw or bolt is threadably inserted into or, alternatively, passedthrough the fastener 200 to threadably engage the rail below, while thescrewhead, bolthead, or tool-receiving aperture of the fastener 200remains accessible from a top surface 218 to allow torque to be appliedto affix the fastener to the rail. Thereafter, a cooperating opening ofthe picket is then inserted over the fastener 200 to affix the picket tothe rail. The cooperating opening can have a variety of shapes such ascylindrical, conical, rectangular, hexagonal or other regular polygon,as well as in the shape of a half-ball or section of a ball, as thatterm is defined herein.

[0062] To continue making a balustrade, the process is then repeated byaffixing fasteners 200 at desired spacings, and affixing pickets theretoto make an assembly having a rail and a plurality of pickets affixedthereto. This represents a “lower” rail of the balustrade, for example.Then, fasteners 200 are affixed to a second rail at desired spacings.The balustrade is then completed by mating the pickets that are affixedto the lower rail to the fasteners 200 that are affixed to the second,upper rail.

[0063] While in many railings or balustrades the pickets or balustersare oriented at right angles, many occasions arise when pickets must beoriented at other than right angles, e.g. stairways, in which case atleast one of the angles that the baluster makes relative to the rail isacute. The ball-shape of fasteners 200 makes them well-suited for thispurpose because the angle that each ball-shaped fastener 200 makesrelative to the opening in a picket can change while the fastener stillcontinues to frictionally engage the opening.

[0064]FIGS. 16, 17 and 18A through 18F illustrate alternative ballshapes to which fasteners 200 may be constructed in preferredembodiments, bearing in mind, that in each case, a top surface and abottom surface of the shape are preferably opposing parallel planes, forease of assembly of the rail to picket.

[0065] A container 66 for storing and transporting pickets 44 isillustrated in FIG. 19. The container 66 is equipped with a holemeasuring guide 68 that can be attached to the container 66 by variousmeans, such as perforation, VELCRO®, adhesion, and the like. The holdmeasuring guide 68 is comprised of a first sidewall 70 and a secondsidewall 72, said sidewalls 70, 72 disposed in perpendicular relation toeach other. A plurality of apertures 74 is located in the secondsidewall 72 thereof. The apertures 74 are positioned so as to coincidewith the proper or intended spacing or positioning of bores within thefence rails 48, 58. As such, the hole measuring guide 68 can bepositioned over two adjacent fence rails 48 as shown in FIG. 20 so thatapertures or bores can be placed within said fence rails 48 in preciselocations thereon by drilling, routing or similar processes.

1. A fastener adapted to affix a first article to a second article,comprising: a first engaging surface having a maximum diameter adaptedto engage an interior surface of an opening in the first article; and amating surface adapted to mate with the second article.
 2. The fastenerof claim 1 wherein said first engaging surface is adapted to engage alongitudinally oriented opening within said first article.
 3. Thefastener of claim 2 wherein said fastener is adapted to affix said firstarticle at an angle to said second article.
 4. The fastener of claim 3wherein said angle is a right angle.
 5. The fastener of claim 4 whereinsaid angle is acute.
 6. The fastener of claim 1 wherein said firstengaging surface has cross-sectional shape selected from the groupconsisting of rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal and otherregular polygons having at least four sides.
 7. The fastener of claim 1wherein said first engaging surface includes a plurality of ridgesadapted to frictionally engage the opening in the first article.
 8. Thefastener of claim 7 wherein said first engaging surface has shapeselected from the group consisting of cylindrical, ellipsoidal, conical,elliptic conical frustum, pyramidal frustum, and ball.
 9. The fastenerof claim 8 wherein said first engaging surface includes a plurality ofridges adapted to frictionally engage the opening in the first article.10. The fastener of claim 9 wherein said mating surface is adapted toengage an interior surface of an opening in the second article.
 11. Thefastener of claim 10 wherein said mating surface includes a plurality ofridges adapted to frictionally engage the opening in the second article.12. The fastener of claim 10 wherein said mating surface includes aplurality of threads adapted to engage the opening in the secondarticle.
 13. The fastener of claim 10 wherein said mating surface hasshape selected from the group consisting of cylindrical, ellipsoidal,conical, elliptic conical frustum, pyramidal frustum, and ball.
 14. Thefastener of claim 8 wherein said mating surface is flat, whereby saidfastener is adapted to be affixed to a flat surface of said secondarticle.
 15. The fastener of claim 14 further comprising affixing meansincluding at least one selected from the group consisting of bolthead,aperture having a regular polygonal cross-section, protrusion havingregular polygonal cross-section, and countersink.
 16. The fastener ofclaim 14 wherein the fastener is adapted to be hidden from view afterthe first article is fastened to the second article therewith.
 17. Afastener adapted to engage a longitudinally oriented opening of a firstelongated article for attaching the first elongated article at a rightangle to a second article, said fastener comprising: a cylindricalmember provided with a first engaging surface for engaging an interiorsurface of a first one of the first elongated article and the secondarticle; and a second member connected to the cylindrical member at anopposing end, the second member provided with a second engaging surfacefor engaging an interior surface of a second one of the first articleand the second article, such that said fastener is adapted to be hiddenfrom view after the first elongated article is fastened to the secondarticle therewith.
 18. A method of affixing a picket of a plurality ofpickets at an angle to a first rail and to a second rail to form arailing, comprising: a) engaging an interior surface of a longitudinallyoriented opening of a first end of a picket with a first fastener havinga first engaging surface; b) affixing a mating surface of the firstfastener to a corresponding surface of a first rail; c) engaging aninterior surface of a longitudinally oriented opening of a second end ofthe picket with a second fastener having a first engaging surface; andd) affixing a mating surface of the second fastener to a correspondingsurface of a second rail, such that the picket is affixed to the firstand second rails by the first and second fasteners and the first andsecond fasteners are thereafter hidden from view.
 19. The method ofclaim 18 wherein said angle is a right angle.
 20. The method of claim 18wherein said angle is an acute angle.
 21. The method of claim 18 whereinsaid first engaging surface has shape selected from cylindrical,ellipsoidal, conical, elliptic conical frustum, pyramidal frustum, andball and other shapes having cross-sections of rectangular, pentagonal,hexagonal, octagonal and other regular polygons having at least foursides.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the first engaging surfaceincludes a plurality of ridges adapted to frictionally engage thelongitudinal opening in the picket.
 23. The method of claim 22 whereinthe mating surface is flat such that said fastener mates with a flatsurface of said first and second rails.
 24. A method of affixing aplurality of pickets at an angle to a first rail and to a second rail toform a railing, comprising: e) engaging an interior surface of alongitudinally oriented opening of a first end of a picket with a firstfastener having a first engaging surface; f) affixing a mating surfaceof the first fastener to a corresponding surface of a first rail; g)engaging an interior surface of a longitudinally oriented opening of asecond end of the picket with a second fastener having a first engagingsurface; h) affixing a mating surface of the second fastener to acorresponding surface of a second rail; and i) performing steps a)through d) for each of the plurality of pickets, such that the pluralityof pickets are affixed to the first and second rails by a plurality ofeach of the first and second fasteners and the first and secondfasteners are thereafter hidden from view.
 25. A railing including aplurality of pickets affixed at an angle on a first end to a first railand on a second end to a second rail, each of the plurality of picketsbeing affixed to the first and the second rails by a method comprising:a) engaging an interior surface of a longitudinally oriented opening ofa first end of a picket with a first fastener having a first engagingsurface; b) affixing a mating surface of the first fastener to acorresponding surface of a first rail; c) engaging an interior surfaceof a longitudinally oriented opening of a second end of the picket witha second fastener having a first engaging surface; and d) affixing amating surface of the second fastener to a corresponding surface of asecond rail.